National award-winning filmmaker Aditya Vikram Sengupta’s third Bengali feature film Once Upon A Time in Calcutta will premiere at the 78th Venice International Film Festival. It will be screened in the Orizzonti (Horizons) section. It is the only film from India to have its world premiere at the festival, which will be held from September 1 to 11.
Inspired by true events, Once Upon a Time in Calcutta follows the life of a bereaved mother trying to find a new identity and love, only to realise that the whole city is also brimming with hunger.
“Venice is a dream festival for any filmmaker and we are extremely grateful and excited to be back with a Bengali film about the city, especially on the 100 birth centenary of Satyajit Ray,” Sengupta said in a statement.
Speaking about his film the director said, "The film highlights the aspirations and struggles of people gasping for breath in an ever-expanding metropolis. For the viewer, I have tried to create a real glimpse into the murky waters of Calcutta, with colourful characters, all trying very hard to find a corner of their own without drowning”.
The movie stars Sreelekha Mitra, Bratya Basu, Shayak Roy, Satrajit Sarkar, Anirban Chakrabarti among others.
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